by Aneko Yusagi
Ren, actually, had his head cocked to the side as he considered the situation. He was just watching.
Itsuki was convinced that I was his enemy, but he wasn’t rushing over to attack me. I thought for sure he would fire some volleys to protect Motoyasu—but thinking over it now, both of them had a strong sense of justice.
They won’t want to intrude on one-on-one combat. That wouldn’t feel just to them.
They must have decided to jump in and stop my Iron Maiden because of the risk that it might have killed Motoyasu or something like that.
There must have been a way to use the situation to our advantage.
I had to keep them focused on me, not Raphtalia. I made sure not to look in her direction and slowly backed away to keep them following me.
The time for escape was still a ways off.
But if I could get them to focus on me…
“I figured out how to use these!”
Filo held the claws out and crossed them.
“Torna…”
“Sorry! You left me no choice, Filo. This will hurt a little.”
Motoyasu readied his spear, pointed it at Filo, and prepared to use a skill.
“Chaos Spear!”
“Ugh!”
Filo kept her claws out and flew at the enemy. When she had almost reached him, she started to spin, and ran right into him.
“Wh…”
Filo had spun right through his rain of spears, connected with her claws, and sent him flying. Now she was heading for the Bitch.
“Yaaaaaaahh!”
The Bitch was desperately trying to make Mel sniff the medicine before Filo could get to them. But she was too slow. As Filo approached she let go of Mel in an effort to protect herself.
“Mel!”
Filo stopped spinning and scooped up Mel’s hand in one motion, and then the two of them took off running.
“Ugh…”
Motoyasu had fallen heavily to the ground. Now he struggled to his feet and looked over at Filo and Mel.
“Back away, Mel. I’m going to take out this spear guy, then you and me are running.”
“Okay.”
Filo turned back to Motoyasu and readied her claws.
This was the start of a new fight. Where it had been a one-on-one between Filo and Motoyasu, now the Bitch helped Motoyasu and Mel helped Filo.
The rest of us were watching, and suddenly the fight was on.
“You can do it, Filo! All Zweite Aqua Shot!”
“We don’t need a baby who thinks she is better than her older sister! Zweite Hellfire!”
The Bitch and Mel were flinging spells at each other.
Stupid Bitch. What was she talking about? She was last in line for the throne but messing with her sister?
Fine then, if this was a fight for succession, I knew who I was backing. That Bitch wasn’t fit to sit on a throne.
“Zweite Earth Hammer!”
“Zweite Fire Arrow!”
But the other party members of the heroes were worse than we could have expected. Instead of aiming their attacks at Filo, they were heading for Mel.
“What are you doing?!”
Ren jumped in and beat back the magic that was flying at Mel.
“Are you trying to kill the princess we’ve been charged to protect?! Even if she is brainwashed, we still need to protect her! Think about her level!”
That’s right. The younger princess was who Ren, Itsuki, and Motoyasu were supposed to protect.
The Bitch might have wanted to murder her little sister, but the heroes wouldn’t want that to happen.
This was our chance. I could win them over to our side.
“But the princess has already been brainwashed by the Shield Hero. She won’t be able to control herself.”
“Even still, if you don’t hold back you’ll kill her! She’s obviously not trying to attack us!”
The princess’s magic was clearly a threat and nothing more, as every spell slipped right between Filo and Motoyasu. There was plenty of room for them to avoid it.
It actually looked like the Bitch and her friends were using their magic directly against the princess—like they were trying to kill her. It was so obvious that even Ren had seen through it.
“You know that her level isn’t very high! If you hit her with that magic she will die!”
I feel like the Bitch was probably well aware of Mel’s level. Didn’t they understand that she was TRYING to kill her?
“That… That’s true…”
The Bitch turned away in frustration. She sighed, then nodded.
“Ren, Itsuki. She wants the princess dead. Can’t you see that?”
“What?!”
“Myne is second in line for the throne, the younger princess is the current heiress. I’m sure you can figure the rest out.”
“Don’t listen to his lies! Bow Hero! Sword Hero!”
“What are you rushing for? You know it’s true. Just ask your party members.”
Ren and Itsuki were visibly shaken. The Bitch was acting so crazy it should have been apparent to anyone. Maybe they were swayed by my confidence? Whatever. It actually was TRUE—if they looked into it they’d figure it out soon enough.
“That’s how he brainwashes people! Don’t listen to him!”
What an annoying excuse.
“She’s right! Die! Shield Hero!”
One of Itsuki’s party members was clad in gaudy armor. He swung an axe at me.
That’s just what I was waiting for!
“Hiyaaaaaa!”
“Take that! Die! Shield Demon!”
I used my shield to stop his attack.
“Now! Attack while his guard is down!”
“Okay!”
“Don’t attack!”
“Yes, don’t! You must be careful, they are dangerous!”
Ren and Itsuki’s party members ignored their order to stop, and they all rushed us at once.
They formed a large group and came at us all at once—but they weren’t used to fighting together.
This was our chance! The lot of them thought that I had no way to counterattack—but they were wrong.
I used self curse burning, centered on myself, and burned the whole area.
“ARGH!!!!”
“Hiyaaaa!”
“Wh…What?!”
Itsuki was stunned to silence. He was staring at us.
Ren jumped in and bat away a magical attack that had been aimed at the princess. He tried to counterattack, but he was too slow, and ended up missing.
“Ugh… My body…”
Everyone, including the guy in the armor, had fallen to the ground. They couldn’t get to their feet.
“Don’t think I can’t fight back. This shield has plenty of power.”
“Ugh…”
Ren sheathed his sword and groaned. Itsuki did the same.
They turned to their party members and starting casting healing magic on them. Too bad. The self curse burning had cursed them—that would make it hard to heal them.
But watching their parties suffer hadn’t won me Ren or Itsuki’s sympathies. Further negotiations would be difficult.
“Hand Red Sword!”
“Arrow Rain!”
Ren and Itsuki both turned and sent attacks flying at me.
When Ren called Hand Red Sword, a number of swords appeared in the sky, then they began to fall on me. At the same time Itsuki drew the string on his bow and aimed it high into the sky. When he released the string, arrows of light began to fall all around us.
Both were ranged attacks.
“Ugh…”
I quickly covered my head with the shield and blocked the falling swords and arrows.
Damn. It really hurt. I could feel my nerves tense with pain.
“That must be it.”
“Yeah, I think so too. That power of his wasn’t in the game, but it only make sense that it would work that way.”
“Melee attack counter”
They
were right. Self curse burning looked like the perfect attack, but it only activated in response to melee attacks. Once they figured that out, the Shield of Rage II was only half as useful.
Just knowing that I had an automatic counter attack that would hurt them was enough to prevent them from attacking us. But if they had figured out how to get around it, then they could just attack me from a distance until I fell.
If they’d figured it out, then the battle had just gotten even worse.
I couldn’t just keep the Shield of Rage II equipped and hope to win.
If the situation was going to continue worsening then I would have to switch to another shield.
Which meant that they should just wait for the time to… No. I didn’t know how long I could keep the Shield of Rage II equipped, so there was no need to follow that train of thought.
I didn’t have to lay my cards out on the table—tricking them was a good strategy.
“What’s wrong? You guys realize that I can handle any attacks you throw at me, right?”
“I bet you’re lying.”
“Yeah, if we all attack at once I’m sure it will be effective. Not to mention all the knights gathering just down the road.”
Damn! It wasn’t looking like they would fall for it.
But that’s not what I was really after.
“He can’t counter any of my attacks! Eagle Piercing Shot!”
Itsuki fired an arrow at me, and as it flew it changed shape to resemble an eagle.
I focused on the eagle-shaped energy shot, and was able to see the arrows inside of it. It was flying straight and fast—very fast.
Based on the name of the attack, it seemed safe to assume it was a piercing attack. I’d played my share of online RPGs, so I was pretty familiar with bow attacks. Piercing meant that it would shoot straight through, leaving a hole. If his skill was an arrow that was capable of a piercing attack, it probably meant that I wasn’t going to be able to stop it with my shield. Which meant that if I was going to respond, I’d have to either run out of it’s range, or find some way to snatch it out of the air before it hit me. Could I do it? It would be dangerous.
I concentrated.
I focused on the flying eagle of energy, reached out and brushed its head. Then my fingers found its neck. I closed my fist around the neck and stopped it.
“What?! He just grabbed my Eagle Piercing Shot?!”
Itsuki shouted. He was clearly surprised by my response.
The energy eagle, surprisingly enough, wasn’t very strong. I squeezed it and it crumbled.
“There, I stopped it. Ren, think about it. You know this fight isn’t right.”
“How so?”
“All these people are overly antagonistic towards me. And they are using an imaginary brainwashing shield to justify their actions. If the Shield Hero had a weapon like that, then you should all have one too, no?”
“…”
Yes. I’d talk them down, and then have them leave.
As for the Bitch—if the heroes weren’t backing her up, she’d have no choice but to retreat.
Or so I thought. The Bitch quickly summoned a ball of light and sent it rocketing skyward.
“I’ve called for reinforcements! The country’s soldiers will be here any minute!”
Damn. They were really closing in now.
“Hiya! Take that!” Boom!
“Ugh…”
Filo threw a flurry of punches at Motoyasu. She almost looked like she was dancing.
She was spinning in tight circles and hitting him with her spinning claws. He was completely at her mercy.
I was surprised at how well she could fight in her human form.
I had been hoping to win Ren and Itsuki over to our side, but was that even possible anymore?
I didn’t have time to worry about it. The soldiers had arrived.
“Finally! Here is the Shield Hero that abducted the princess! Kill him!”
“Yes!”
The soldiers readied their bows and attacked from a distance.
“Wait! I’m not done explaining.”
Before I could finish, the arrows began to rain down around us. There were magical fire arrows among them.
I was standing off on my own. I don’t know if they manipulated the arrows with wind magic or something, but they were all flying straight for me.
The soldiers were not as powerful as the heroes, but they were still plenty dangerous.
“Myne! We’re still talking!”
“No, Mr. Ren. You should not listen to the Shield! He’ll use the Brain Washing Shield to control you!”
That Bitch, she never gave up!
She could say whatever she wanted, she wasn’t fooling me. Even now she was trying to shoot spells at Mel. It was all clear as day.
The party members were acting strange. It was like they were being held in place by magic.
What was going on? I could feel a powerful, oppressive force nearby. Something much more powerful than everyday magic.
“Take this! This will end it!”
The Bitch, and the soldiers around her, finished chanting a spell, but she didn’t send it flying at me. She attacked the princess.
“Group Magic.”
A huge ball of fire appeared in the sky. If it fell on the princess, she’d die for sure!
But then…
“I’m sorry. I cannot allow that.”
From behind, and right through the Bitch’s shoulder, the blade of a sword appeared.
Chapter Nineteen: The Tools
The Bitch swayed, and Raphtalia stepped out from behind her.
As I distracted them, she had apparently used magic.
Her timing was perfect. We were in the middle of a crisis. Did this fix it?
“Y…You! Do you have any idea who you just stabbed?”
The Bitch was inflamed. Demon-like, she shouted at Raphtalia.
“Ms. Myne! Are you all right?!”
“Wait. Ren! Ugh!”
Ren flew over to the Bitch and locked swords with Raphtalia.
I tried to run over also, but the rain of arrows and magic kept me back.
The sword was still stuck in the Bitch. It must have gone in the wrong way, as Raphtalia couldn’t pull it out. Once she realized it wasn’t coming out, Raphtalia immediately switched to her backup sword.
“What are you doing?!”
“You are all teaming up to attack Mr. Naofumi! I have to stop you!”
“That doesn’t matter!”
The clattering of the swords against one another filled the area. Ren had more experience with the sword. He parried and knocked Raphtalia back.
This wasn’t good. She was practically unarmed.
Filo was still fighting with Motoyasu, and the princess was busy supporting her.
Little by little, Ren and Itsuki’s party members were sneaking closer to the princess.
This wasn’t good at all. Desperate, Raphtalia reached for the magic sword the weapon shop guy had given her. She pulled it from the sheath and it released with a pop. The hilt was empty—there was no blade.
“Ahaha! What do you have there? How cute!”
The Bitch had been healed with magic by now. She pointed a finger at Raphtalia and laughed. But Ren and Itsuki had a very different reaction.
“The sword doesn’t have a blade? Everyone, be careful!”
“Okay!”
“Wh… What’s happening?!”
Ren’s party members were confused.
“That might be a magic sword. It can form a blade from the user’s magic power. It might be very dangerous.”
“He’s right. I don’t know where she could have come across such a thing…”
Thinking back on it, the old guy at the weapon shop had given us a note that said something similar.
“After we read his note, I couldn’t just ignore what he’d said. It had to mean something. So I did a little experimenting.”
Raphtalia whispered, and she wrapped her f
ingers around the hilt, holding it tight. When she clamped down on the handle, a blinding light shot from it.
The Bitch looked upset.
“Here I come!”
Raphtalia pointed the sword forward, then ran for Ren and the Bitch.
“Damn! Shooting Star Sword!”
Ren used his best skill.
Shooting Star Sword was a skill that shot stars from the arc of his sword swing. I imagine that if it hit the target directly, it was very strong. Even still, Ren wasn’t fighting with all his strength. He was fighting to stop us. He would probably hold back.
Even if he held back, if he connected with Raphtalia it would probably do fatal damage.
What could I do?!
If I went over to help, I’d draw the soldier’s attacks toward Raphtalia,
But Raphtalia dodged the stream of stars and moved in.
“You’re moves lack conviction!”
“Ugh…”
Ren wasn’t sure where he stood in the fight, and it was affecting his attack strategy. Raphtalia dodged his sword, and her own sword flashed.
Ren looked suddenly dizzy. He held his head in his hands and stumbled toward Raphtalia. Then he fell to his knees.
“Now I understand. He gave me this sword to cut things that aren’t physical. So when you cut a person with it, this is what happens.”
Raphtalia seemed to understand something. She turned from the fallen Ren and ran for the Bitch.
“You think a criminal like you can stand before the likes of me?!”
The Bitch readied her sword and swung it at Raphtalia.
“Please be QUIET!”
Raphtalia’s blade disappeared just in time to avoid clashing with the Bitch’s. It would not be a duel. Raphtalia pivoted, turned, and let the Bitch’s sword skirt by her, missing her by a hair.
The magic sword’s blade reappeared, and slid forward effortlessly, straight through the Bitch’s chest.
“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
The Bitch screamed.
Then, as if she had fainted, she dropped her sword and fell forward against Raphtalia.
Raphtalia used her foot to flick her own sword up into her hand. Then, using the Bitch as a shield, she turned towards Ren.
“Myne!”
“Myne!”
Ren and Itsuki, then Motoyasu, all shouted.
“Sword Hero? I’m sure you realize this, but she is not dead. I’ve simply put her to sleep for a moment.”
